System and method for generating a transporting instruction using an environmental sensor

ABSTRACT

A system including an environmental sensor that can travel with a product within a carrier&#39;s logistics network. The environmental sensor being configured to sense an environmental condition capable of affecting the product to generate product environment data. The system includes a scanner configured to read product environment data from the environmental sensor. The system also includes a hub control unit configured to communicate with the scanner and receive the product environment data from the scanner and determine whether the product environment data enters into a pre-defined range of values associated with an exposure of the product to an environmental condition. The hub control unit is also configured to generate alert data if it is determined that the environmental data has entered the range of values. If a limit within the values is further transcended, a transportation instruction is also generated to alter transport of the product.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/782,630, filed Mar. 1, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,594,978, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/535,867, filed Jun. 28,2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,412,489, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/073,555, filed Mar. 28, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No.8,280,686, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/251,771, filed Oct. 15, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,930,142, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/552,413, filed Oct. 24,2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,454,315, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 10/770,119, filed Feb. 2, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No.7,149,658, which are all hereby incorporated herein in their entirety byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to shipping of a product by acarrier under controlled or monitored environmental conditions, such ascan be provided by a refrigerated vehicle or shipping container. Moreparticularly, the subject invention relates to systems and methods forprocessing a product during shipment in response to environmentalconditions to which the product is subjected during transportation andstorage while in transit from a sender to a receiver of the product.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Shipping carriers, such as UPS®, Inc., transport a wide variety ofproducts on behalf of their customers. In most cases, a carrier'scustomers are either a sender (or “consignor”) or a receiver (or“consignee”). As the terms are used herein, a “sender” refers to theperson or entity sending the product to a receiver via the carrier, andthe “receiver” is the person or entity receiving the product from thesender via the carrier.

Typically, a sender places a product to be shipped in a container orpackage for shipment, attaches an address label indicating the identityof the receiver and the receiver's address, and leaves the containerwith the product in a designated place for pickup by the carrier fordelivery to the receiver. A driver of a carrier vehicle typicallyobtains the container with enclosed product at the pickup location, anduses a handheld wireless device to enter relevant data from the shippinglabel into a tracking system so that the fact that the container andproduct has been picked up by the carrier can be recorded. The driverthen loads the container with its product in the vehicle, and transportssame to a hub for sorting and distribution to the next location alongthe route designated for the package by the carrier's internal routingand control systems. From this hub, the container can be directlydelivered to the receiver's location if the delivery is to a receiver inthe same vicinity as the sender. Alternatively, the container with theproduct can be transported via aircraft, train, or a wheeled vehicle toanother hub nearer to the receiver's location. It is possible that thecontainer with product can be transported through one or moreintermediate hubs before reaching the hub serving the receiver location.A delivery vehicle then transports the container and product thereinalong the final leg of its route to the receiver's location to completedelivery of the product in its container. The receiver can then open thecontainer and retrieve the product for its own use, or can deliver orsell the product to another person in the distribution chain to the enduser of the product.

For the purpose of routing, tracking, and billing for shipment of aproduct, a carrier can maintain computerized shipping recordsidentifying the sender, the sender's shipping account to be charged forthe product shipment, the sender's address, the receiver, the receiver'saddress for delivery, the level of service selected for shipping theproduct (i.e., overnight delivery, next-day delivery, two-day delivery,etc.), the weight and dimensions of the container and enclosed productwhich can be used for logistics planning and billing for the productshipment, special handling instructions for the product, and possiblyother information. Some carriers provide the capability to track ashipped product in transit from the sender to the receiver. Thisprovides the benefit of permitting the sender and receiver to determinethe status of the shipped product while it is within the carrier'stransportation and storage network.

In addition to providing peace of mind to the sender and/or receiver asto the location and status of the product within the carrier'stransportation and storage network at any given time, such trackinginformation can permit the receiver to project when the product willarrive at the receiver's location. The receiver can thus plan activitiesthat are contingent upon receipt of the product, such as theavailability of machinery and labor for handling the product, etc. Inaddition, tracking information permits the sender or receiver to verifythat certain actions, such as shipping or delivery of the product, havein fact been taken. This can be useful for verifying compliance (ordetermining noncompliance) with a contract between the sender andreceiver. Such tracking information can also be useful to interestedthird parties such as insurers, guarantors, or banks, who can have aninterest in a product shipment.

To access tracking information, some carriers permit use of a trackingidentifier, generally included as a string of alphanumeric characters orbar code, on the shipping label. A customer or other interested partycan access such tracking information by contacting a customer servicerepresentative of the carrier by telephone and providing the trackingidentifier to such representative. The representative can then use thetracking identifier to reference the computerized shipping records via anetwork internal to the carrier to provide the requested product statusinformation to the customer. Alternatively, some carriers permitcustomers to directly access shipment tracking information by using aweb-based device to access the carrier's computer system via theInternet.

Despite the wide variety of goods shipped by a carrier, most items aretransported in a routine manner according to standard shippingprocedures developed by the carrier. In other words, despite the varioussizes and types of containers and products that can be shipped by acarrier, the containers and their products are handled in the samegeneral way using the same integrated system of hubs with sorters,conveyors, loading and unloading locations, storage areas, andtransportation vehicles. However, in some cases, the nature of someproducts can require a carrier to apply special handling or exceptionprocessing during the transporting of such products from a sender to areceiver. The term “special handling” encompasses a variety ofoperations in which particular products (or a shipment of products) areidentified and separated from routine product shipments to be handleddifferently from routine product shipments in the shipping carrier'stransportation and storage system. Such special handling can include,for example, transporting sensitive, explosive, hazardous, or toxicproducts in a special way. Such handling can be mandated by applicablelaw or regulation for shipment of the product, can be necessary in orderto comply with a customer's request for handling the product, or can benecessary due to the carrier's internal policies or experiences withproducts of a particular nature. For example, the carrier can be askedby a customer or third party to verify that a refrigerated containerholding biological material is functioning at various points along thecontainer's shipping route.

Maintaining the integrity of a product in its protective containerthroughout transport can be critical to use of the contained product bythe receiver or end user. For example, wine typically needs to bemaintained within a certain temperature range in order to preserve adesired taste. Therefore, a carrier can be requested to handle a packagecontaining wine with extra care or to inspect the package at one or morepoints along its route to assure continued viability of the product. Forexample, the carrier can transport a wine shipment in atemperature-controlled container. By checking a temperature gaugeassociated with the container at various points along the transportationroute designated for the wine product in the carrier's logisticsnetwork, proper handling of the product can be inferred from gaugereadings confirming the product to be at a permissible temperature.

However, such technique does not inform or alert the carrier andcustomer as to whether proper environmental conditions were or were notmaintained during the times the product was in the carrier's logisticsnetwork between checkpoints. Therefore, unbeknownst to either thecarrier or customer, it is possible that the receiver can be providedwith a product shipment that was subjected to an environmental conditionthat makes it unfit for use by the receiver or end user. Thus, exposureto an environmental condition can damage or destroy the productshipment, or possibly even render it dangerous to the receiver or enduser. Furthermore, continuing to ship a product that has been renderedunfit for the receiver's or end user's purposes by exposure to anenvironmental condition can result in a substantial waste oftransportation, labor, financial, and other resources of the carrierand/or the customer.

Therefore, a need exists in the art for a method and system forprocessing packages that require transport according to one or moreprescribed environmental conditions. The method and system shouldprovide a way of verifying whether or not certain environmentalconditions are maintained throughout the shipping process for a product.Additional benefits could be obtained if the system and method couldreact to exposure of a product to an environmental condition renderingit unfit, to avoid unnecessary use of the carrier's or other'sresources.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, in its various embodiments, overcomes theabove-noted disadvantages of previous devices and techniques.

A system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention comprises asystem including an environmental sensor that can travel with a productwithin a carrier's logistics network. The environmental sensor isconfigured to sense an environmental condition capable of affecting theproduct to generate product environment data. The system includes ascanner configured to read product environment data from theenvironmental sensor. The system also includes a hub control unitconfigured to communicate with the scanner. The hub control unit is alsoconfigured to receive the product environment data from the scanner anddetermines whether the product environment data transcends a limit ofexposure of the product to an environmental condition. The hub controlunit is further configured to generate a transporting instruction toredirect transport of the product to an alternate destination differentfrom its original destination if the hub control unit determines thatthe product environment data indicates the environmental condition ofthe product has transcended the limit of exposure.

In another embodiment of the present invention comprises a methodincluding scanning, with a scanner, an environmental sensor physicallyassociated with a product in a container to read product environmentdata from the environmental sensor. The product in the container may beunder transport within a carrier's logistics network. The method mayalso include transmitting the product environment data from the scannerto a computer. The method may further include determining with thecomputer whether an environmental condition of the contained product hastranscended a limit based on the product environment data scanned fromthe environmental sensor. The method may also include automaticallygenerating a transporting instruction with the computer to redirect theproduct to an alternate destination different from its originaldestination if the determining step establishes that the environmentalcondition has transcended the limit.

The product environment data can relate to various environmentalconditions such as temperature, pressure, vacuum, vibration, shock,humidity, moisture, light, air and a chemical to which the product hasbeen subjected. The hub control unit can be configured to generate thetransporting instruction to route the package to an alternate tipposition corresponding to the alternate destination. The scanner cancomprise a radio-frequency identification (RFID) interrogator forelectromagnetically scanning the product environment data from theenvironmental sensor. The hub control unit can be configured to generateand transmit the transporting instruction to the environmental sensorvia the scanner to store the transporting instruction in theenvironmental sensor for use by the machine controller in transportingthe product. The computer can be configured to generate the transportinginstruction to route the product in the container to the alternatedestination which is a disposal site. The hub control unit can beconfigured to generate the transporting instruction to route the productin the container to the alternate destination which is that of a secondreceiver that can make use of the product affected by the environmentalcondition. The hub control unit can be configured to generate thetransporting instruction to route the product in the container to thealternate destination which is that of a holding area for inspection ofthe product to determine whether the product has been adversely affectedby the environmental condition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn toscale, and wherein:

FIG. 1. is a view of a product delivery system that employsenvironmental sensor technology to capture product environment data inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view of a sortation system that is operable to routeproducts based on product environment data associated with the packagesin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computer system in accordance with theinvention depicted in FIGS. 1-2.

FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram of steps of a method for transporting aproduct based on product environment data in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 5-6 are process flow diagrams of steps of a method for providinghistory data of the environmental conditions to which a product has beensubjected during shipment in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all,embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, these inventions can beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legalrequirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

The following paragraphs describe novel and nonobvious systems andmethods in which environmental sensor technology is used in connectionwith a product delivery system. The systems and methods described hereinprovide means for tracking and verifying the environmental conditions towhich a product within a container has been subjected during itsmovement through a supply chain.

As used herein the following terms have the following meanings:

“And/or” means any one, some or all of the things listed before andafter such term. Thus, “A, B, and/or C” means “any one, some, or all ofA, B, and C.”

“Container” will be used herein to refer to virtually any object thatcan be used to enclose or hold a product, such as an envelope, packet,mailing tube, bag, box, package, can, bucket, crate, palate, shippingcontainer, etc.

FIG. 1. is a view of a product delivery system 10 that employsenvironmental sensor technology to capture product environment data inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The system 10includes an environmental sensor 12 physically associated with a product13 in a container 14 that is to be shipped from a sender 16 to areceiver 18. The system 10 further comprises a carrier logistics network20 for shipping the container 14 with its product 13, and a computersystem 22 for monitoring various aspects of the shipping process.

In one embodiment, the environmental sensor 12 associated with theproduct 13 in the container 14 is a radio-frequency identification(RFID) sensor tag. As referred to herein, an RFID sensor is an automateddata collection device having an integrated environmental sensor. As isknown in the art, RFID sensor technology provides a wireless means ofautomated data collection that eliminates the need for a direct line ofsight between a data reader and the RFID tag. This allows the sensor tag12 to be placed anywhere on or in the product 13 or the container 14. Inother words, the sensor 12 can be placed inside the container 14, it canbe affixed to an outer surface of the container, or it can be positioneddirectly on the product 13 that is inside the container, for example.The environmental sensor portion of the device 12 is preferably capableof sensing one or more environmental conditions, such as temperature,pressure, vacuum, vibration, shock, humidity, moisture, light, air, andthe presence or absence of a chemical. These types of environmentalsensor devices 12 are “off-the-shelf” products known to those ofordinary skill in the art. For example, an RFID environmental sensorcapable of detecting changes in one or more such environmentalconditions is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,294,997 issued to Paratore,which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The product 13 and/or container 14 can have identification data 83 foridentifying the product and/or container 14. The identification data 83can be, by way of example and not limitation, a tracking identifier 23for uniquely identifying the product 13 and/or container 14 during theshipping process. The tracking identifier 23 can thus be an alphanumericnumber such as a “1Z” number or a barcode such as a one-dimensionalrepresentation of the “1Z” number uniquely assigned to a shipping label,or a Maxicode® two-dimensional pattern, which are used by UPS®, Inc. totrack packages. It is also possible that the identification data 83 canbe another kind of identifier, such as an electronic product code (EPC),global trade item number (GTIN), vehicle identification number (VIN),etc. The identification data 83 can as well comprises data indicatingthe serial or unit number of a product, its manufacturer, a stockkeeper's number (SKU), characteristics of the product, such as itscolor, style, size, weight, conditioning, the value added tax (VAT) towhich the product is subject, etc.

In one embodiment, the identification data 83 is stored in the sensor 12and can be read by a scanner at one or more points along the shippingroute. In another embodiment, the identification data 83 is identifiedon a printed medium 21 attached to the package. The printed medium 21can comprise a conventional shipping label with the identification data83 encoded in optically-readable form such as an alphanumeric characterstring, a one- or two-dimensional bar code, or other machine- orhuman-readable form. The identification data 83 can be used by thecomputer system 22 to allow product environment data 85, and optionallyalso tracking data 84, to be associated with the product 13 and/orcontainer 14 as it is shipped via the carrier's logistics network 20.

In other words, as the product 13 in the container 14 is transportedfrom the sender 16 to the receiver 18, scanners internal to thecarrier's logistics network 20 can scan the identification data 83 onthe container 14 and/or product 13, to generate tracking data 84indicating the status of the product during transport. For example, theidentification data 83 of the product 13 and/or container 14 can bescanned by such equipment at one or more of a number of differentpoints, such as by a driver 24 who picks up the package at the senderlocation 16 and uses a hand-held scanning device 26 to read theidentification data from the container 14, at hubs 28 that receive andsort the package and have equipment to scan the identification data, andfinally by the delivery driver 30 who delivers the package to thedelivery location 18 and uses a hand-held device 26, to scan theidentification data to generate tracking data 84 prior to delivery.

The tracking data 84 can include data identifying the date, time, andplace of particular events associated with the container 14 as it istransported from the sender 16 to the receiver 18 within the carrier'slogistics network 20. Such events can include the arrival or departureof the container 14 at or from particular locations within the logisticsnetwork 20 of the carrier as the package is transported. Such trackingdata 84 can also include the identity of persons handling the container14, such as the pickup or delivery driver, or a person acknowledgingreceipt of the package at a particular location by signing for thepackage. The tracking data 84 can be transmitted via a network 32 to thecomputer system 22 from the various scan locations, for storage therein.The computer system 22 can provide access to the tracking data 84related to the product 13 via the network 32, so that a sender 16, areceiver 18, pickup and delivery personnel, and potentially others, candetermine the status of the product 13 during transportation of theproduct in the carrier's logistics network.

Similarly, product environment data 85 can also be obtained by scanningthe environmental sensor 12 that is physically associated with theproduct 13, at one or more points along the shipping route. The type ofproduct environment data 85 obtained from the sensor 12 depends on thetype of sensor used. Preferably, the environmental sensor 12 is capableof sensing one or more environmental conditions such as temperature,pressure, vacuum, vibration, shock, humidity, moisture, light, air, andthe presence or absence of a particular chemical. In one embodiment, theenvironmental sensor 12 is an RFID sensor, and the product environmentdata 85 is read wirelessly when the sensor comes within range of ascanner. In one embodiment, the sensor 12 is operable to generate timedata in association with product environment data for indicating thetime of sensing the environment condition associated with the container14.

In other words, this type of sensor 12 can be used to record historydata of the environmental conditions that a product 13 and/or container14 is exposed to during transport. This is a great advantage overprevious technologies in that it provides the capability to determinewhat environmental conditions have impacted the product 13 duringshipment not only at checkpoints where scanners read data from thesensors 12, but also at other locations in between checkpoints since thesensor in effect maintains a record of the environmental conditionsaffecting the product along its journey through the carrier's logisticsnetwork 20. The capability to verify that one or more environmentalconditions have been maintained during transport and storage of aproduct can be extremely important when shipping a variety of productsthat require special handling. A few examples of products that mayrequire special handling because of their sensitivity to temperature,pressure, light, air and/or other environmental conditions includepharmaceuticals, biological tissue, drugs, and perishable foods.

This capability has numerous benefits, including providing the abilityfor the carrier's customer to confirm that the product 13 has not beensubjected to an adverse condition during shipment, and thus that theproduct is suitable for use by the receiver or other user downstream inthe supply chain from the receiver. It also enables the carrier toassure the customer that the product 13 has not been subjected to anadverse environmental condition, and thus that the carrier's contractwith the customer has been fulfilled. Moreover, the record ofenvironmental conditions to which the product 13 has been subjected canbe used to determine the entity at fault in subjecting the product to anenvironmental condition, rendering it unfit for use during shipment. Itcan also be used by the carrier for testing or quality control purposesto determine proper functioning and correction of the equipment andprocesses in its logistics network 20 to ensure that a product 13 is notsubjected to an environmental condition that renders it unfit for itsintended purpose during shipment. As will be described in detail below,the product environment data read from the sensor 12 can be used fortransporting the container 14 based on the product environment data.

The present invention can also operate with other types of environmentalsensors 12 known in the art. For example, in addition to detecting andrecording product environment data associated with a product 13 and/or acontainer 14, some environmental sensors 12 can be programmed todetermine whether the environmental condition of a product hastranscended a minimum or maximum limit or range, based on the productenvironment data detected by the sensor. In one embodiment, dataindicating whether a minimum or maximum limit or range was transcendedis read from the sensor 12 at one or more points in the shippingprocess. In another embodiment, the sensor 12 can comprise a visualindicator that changes its physical properties in response to anenvironmental condition transcending a minimum or maximum limit orrange. For example, the visual indicator can include at least onelight-emitting diode (LED). The LED can be used to signify that anenvironmental condition has transcended a minimum or maximum limit orrage by, for example, transitioning from a non-illuminated state to anilluminated state, or by being illuminated so as to change from a firstcolor (e.g., green) to a second color (e.g., red) in response to theenvironment condition of the contained product 13 transcending a minimumor maximum limit or range. These types of visual indicators can be usedto alert delivery personnel handling such packages 14 of the need totake appropriate action with regard to the product 13 that has beenexposed to an unacceptable environmental condition.

The invention is not limited to use of LEDs as visual indicators toindicate exposure of a product 13 to an unacceptable environmentalcondition: virtually any sensor 12 that changes its visual appearance orother physical property in response to an environmental condition can beused. Such sensor 12 can be one that permits sensing of sensor's statewithout requiring line of sight, or it can be one that requires line ofsight, or even contact, in order to read the sensor's state indicatingwhether the product 13 has been exposed to an adverse environmentalcondition. Possibilities of sensors 12 having visual indicators that canbe used in the subject invention include temperature-sensitive visualindicators such as paper thermometers or thermo-labels, liquid crystaltemperature strips which change color in response to changes intemperature, per hydronium (pH) strips which change color in response tothe pH of the product's environment, electrochemical sensor strips thatchange color in the presence of a chemical or element, sensor stripsthat measure an environmental condition such as the amount ofultraviolet light or other wavelength range, pressure-sensitive strips,and other devices.

As mentioned above, a relatively complete record of the environmentalcondition to which a product 13 has been subjected during shipment andstorage can be obtained by a sensor 12 that senses the environmentalcondition periodically or otherwise along its route and stores sensedproduct environment data 85 for later retrieval by a scanner. Howfrequently the sensor 12 should sample and store measurements as productenvironment data 85 depends upon the nature of the product 13 and itssensitivity to exposure to the environmental condition. In general, thesampling period of the sensor 12 should be less than the time requiredfor the product 13 to spoil when exposed to the environmental conditionto enable the fact of exposure to be recorded and read by a scanner inthe carrier's logistics network 20. Thus, for example, if the product 13will be spoiled by exposure to an unacceptable environmental conditionfor a few seconds, then the sensor should be capable of taking productenvironment data readings at least every second or less. Similarly, ifthe product 13 will spoil if exposed to an unacceptable environmentalcondition continuously over several hours, then the sensor 12 can takeproduct environment data readings on an hourly or minutely basis, forexample.

Spoilage of a product 13 can also depend not only on the time for whichthe product is exposed to an unacceptable environmental condition, butalso upon the severity of the environmental condition. Hence, the sensor12 can be such as to take product environment data readings morefrequently if an environmental condition is relatively severe, and lessfrequently if the environmental condition to which the product 13 isexposed is less severe. By storing the product environment data readingsin correspondence with the time at which such readings were taken, thescanner can read such data so that a relatively complete record of theproduct environment data 85 affecting the product 13 over time duringshipment can be obtained and stored in the computer system 22.

It should be understood that the sensor 12 can be such as to determineitself whether the environmental condition affecting the product 13 withwhich it is associated has transcended acceptable limit or range values.Thus, the sensor 12 can provide data indicating an alert to the scanner,which in turn relays this data to the carrier computer system 22. Inresponse to this data, the carrier computer system 22 can generate atransporting instruction 87 to transport the spoiled product 13 inaccordance with special handling procedures. As another alternative, thesensor 12 can merely store product environment data 85 which is read bya scanner and provided to the carrier computer system 22, which performsthe determination to establish whether the product environment data hastranscended prescribed limit values or ranges, and if so, generates thetransporting instruction 87 to the machinery and/or labor internal tothe carrier's logistics network 20 to affect special handling of theproduct 13. Thus, the sensor 12 can be merely a sensor device, oralternatively, in addition to storing product environment data, it canperform processing to determine whether the product 13 has beensubjected to an unacceptable environmental condition, and if so, cantransmit the resulting alert data to the carrier computer system 22 viaa scanner over a network 32.

FIG. 2 shows a sortation system 36 that is operable to route products 13in containers 14 based on product environment data 85 associated withthe packages in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.In this embodiment, the sortation system 36 includes a conveyor belt 38,scanners 41 including an RFID interrogator 40 and an optical scanner 42,a hub control unit 44, one or more machine controller(s) 46, and one ormore sort machinery unit(s) 48. The sortation system 36 described hereincan be used in a carrier hub facility and/or as part of a pre-loadsortation system. A carrier hub facility is typically an interimfacility where contained products or packages are sorted for shipment toother carrier facilities in route to their ultimate destinations. Incontrast, products and their containers that pass through a pre-loadsortation system are sorted onto vehicles and delivered to their finaldestination. Although the following paragraphs describe this embodimentof the sortation system 36 in the context of a carrier hub facility 28,one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that thisembodiment is equally advantageous in the pre-load sortation context, orin any other package sortation operation.

A container 14 having an environmental sensor 12 arrives at a carrierhub facility 28 and is placed on a conveyor belt 38, which takes thepackage to the sortation system 36. In one embodiment, the environmentalsensor 12 associated with the container 14 is a radio-frequencyidentification (RFID) sensor. The container 14 also has shipping addressdata indicating the shipping address of a receiver 18 to which thepackage is to be sent. In one embodiment, the shipping address data isstored in the sensor 12. In another embodiment, the shipping addressdata is located on a conventional shipping label 21 associated with thecontainer 14. As the container 14 moves on the conveyor belt 38 to thesortation system 36, an interrogator 40 reads the RFID sensor 12 andcaptures product environment data 85. In one embodiment, theinterrogator 40 also captures shipping address data from the RFID sensor12. In another embodiment, the shipping address data is read from ashipping label 21 on the container 14 using an optical scanner 42 in amanner known in the art.

An RFID sensor 12 can be active or passive depending on whether theyhave an on-board power source or not. In general, an active sensor usesa battery(ies) to power its tag radio transmitter and receiver (ortransceiver). This type of sensor usually contains a greater number ofcomponents than does a passive sensor. Therefore, an active sensor isusually comparatively large in size and is generally more expensive thana passive sensor. In addition, the life of an active tag is directlyrelated to its battery life. In contrast, a passive tag derives itspower from the RFID interrogator 40 used to read it. It responds to theinterrogator's signal with a signal modulated by the data storedtherein. A passive tag does not use a battery to boost the energy of thereflected signal. But a passive tag can use a battery to maintain memoryin the tag or power the electronics that enable the tag to modulate asignal responsive to the interrogator's signal requesting the sensor toprovide it with its data. The selection of the sensor 12 for aparticular application can depend upon one or more of the above statedconsiderations regarding RFID sensors and their operation.

When the interrogator 40 reads the RFID sensor 12 associated with thecontainer 14, product environment data 85 is captured and sent by suchinterrogator to the hub control unit 44. Additionally, whether read fromthe sensor 12 using an interrogator 40 or read from a shipping label 21using an optical scanner 42, shipping address data associated with thepackage is captured and sent to the hub control unit 44. In oneembodiment, the hub control unit 44 is a system that controls themovement of packages through the carrier hub facility 28. A carrier hubfacility 28 generally contains multiple conveyors that move packages tovarious tip positions or locations 50 within the building based upon thedestination of the products in their containers as indicated by shippingaddress data. The hub control unit 44 controls transport of the packagewithin the hub to tip positions or locations 50 from which the containedproducts are loaded onto carrier vehicles for transport to the nextlocation along their routes, or are taken for special handling. The term“tip position” is known in the art and refers to a location in a carrierhub facility 28 in which packages bound for a particular destination aretipped off a conveyor belt and prepared for transit to that destination.Thus, for example, a hub control unit 44 can recognize that packagesthat are bound for Atlanta, Ga. need to be sorted to tip position #1,whereas packages bound for Los Angeles, Calif. should be sent to tipposition #49.

At the start of a package sort, the hub control unit 44 retrieves a hubmaster file 52 associated with the hub facility 28 and maps theinformation from the hub master file 52 to the sortation and tippositions 50 for the hub facility. In one embodiment, the data in thehub master file 52 determines the path that will be used to movepackages through the hub facility to their next destination. The hubcontrol unit 44 accesses the hub master file 52 and retrieves everypossible carrier hub facility that might be the next destination of apackage involved in the package sort. The hub control unit 44 then mapseach potential package destination to a unique tip position 50 in thehub facility 28. As packages are received, the hub control unit 44 usesthe hub master file 52 to determine the next hub facility destinationfor the package. The hub control unit 44 then determines which locationwithin the building (i.e. which tip position 50) to sort the container14 to so that the package will be routed to the proper hub facility. Andfinally, the hub control unit 44 determines the sortation path throughthe building so that the package will be sorted and transported to theproper tip location.

In one embodiment, the hub control unit 44 is operable to generate atransporting instruction for the container 14 based on productenvironment data obtained from the sensor 12 using the interrogator 40.In this embodiment, the hub control unit 44 determines whether theenvironmental condition of the product 13 within the container 14 hastranscended a minimum or maximum limit or a range of values based on theproduct environment data 85, thereby indicating that the product hasbeen exposed to an adverse environmental condition rendering it unfitfor its intended purpose. In another embodiment, the hub control unit 44can also be configured to determine whether the environmental conditionof the product 13 came “close” to transcending a first limit or range ofvalues, whereby “close” can be defined as whether or not theenvironmental condition of the product 13 transcended a second, relatedlimit or range of values, despite having not transcended the first limitor range of values.

In other words, the fact that the environmental condition of the product13 came “close” to transcending a limit or range of values may notrender the product unfit for its intended purpose. However, thediscovery of such an occurrence can trigger a requirement that thecarrier implement an expedited form of shipping so as to hasten thedelivery of the product 13 to the receiver 18. For example, suppose thata shipment of wine or meat is being shipped via some type of groundservice, and is expected to arrive at the receiver 18 no less than threedays from the time it is discovered that the environmental condition ofthe product 13 came “close” to transcending a limit or range of values,as determined by checking the product environment data 85 against asecond, related limit or range of values. To handle such cases, the hubcontrol unit 44 can be programmed to generate a transporting instructionthat upgrades the service level of the product 13 in the container 14from the current type of ground service to a next-day air service, forexample. Therefore, rather than continuing to transport the product 13to the receiver 18 for at least another three days, by which time theproduct may become unfit for its intended purpose, the product 13 in thecontainer 14 can be delivered to the receiver within one day ofdiscovering the problem.

Minimum or maximum limits or ranges can be stored on the sensor 12 andread by the interrogator 40, or they can be stored in a data storagedevice that is accessible by the hub control unit 44 using theidentification data that identifies the container 14. If the hub controlunit 44 determines that the environmental condition of the container 14has not transcended a minimum or maximum limit or range based on theproduct environment data, the hub control unit generates a transportinginstruction that causes the container 14 to continue along a shippingroute that will take the package to the receiver 18 indicated in theshipping address data. However, if the hub control unit 44 determinesthat the environmental condition has transcended a minimum or maximumlimit or range based on the product environment data, the hub controlunit can generate a transporting instruction indicating that thetransporting of the container 14 is to be performed differently.

In particular, when it is determined that the environmental condition ofthe container 14 has transcended a minimum or maximum limit or range ofvalues based on the product environment data, the hub control unit 44can generate a transporting instruction that causes the container 14 tobe redirected to a tip position 50 from which the package will be takento an alternate destination. The alternate destination can be anydestination other than the location of the receiver 18 indicated in theshipping address data associated with the container 14. For example, thepackage can be routed to an alternate tip position 50 from which theproduct within the container 14 will to be taken to a disposal site. Or,the container 14 can be routed to a tip position 50 from which thepackage will be shipped along a modified route that takes it to a secondreceiver who can make use of the product impacted by the adverseenvironmental condition. Yet another possibility is that the container14 will be routed to a tip position 50 from which the package will beplaced in a holding area. The container 14 may be placed in a holdingarea so that it can be inspected, or to await further instructions fromthe sender 16, the receiver 18 or any other party authorized to redirectthe container 14 when it is determined that the environmental conditionof the package has transcended a minimum or maximum limit or range basedon the product environment data 85 obtained from the sensor 12.

Continuing with FIG. 2, in one embodiment the computer system 22 can beconfigured to generate a transporting instruction 87 for the container14 based on the product environment data 85 read from the sensor 12. Toaccomplish this, the hub control unit 44 transmits the productenvironment data 85 to the computer system 22 via the network 32.Preferably, the hub control unit 44 also transmits identification data83 and tracking data 84 associated with the product 13 and/or container14 to the computer system 22 via the network 32. In one embodiment, theidentification data 83 comprises a tracking identifier 23 for uniquelyidentifying the product 13 and/or container 14 during the shippingprocess, and the tracking data 84 comprises time and location dataidentifying when and where, respectively, the scanning of the packagetook place. The computer system 22 is operable to determine whether theenvironmental condition of the product 13 within the container 14 hastranscended a minimum or maximum limit or range based on the productenvironment data 85. The minimum or maximum limit or range can beincluded in the product environment data 85 read from the sensor 12 andtransmitted to the computer system 22 via the network 32, or the limitscan be stored in a database that is accessible by the computer system 22using the identification data 83 associated with the product 13 and/orcontainer 14.

In one embodiment, if the computer system 22 determines that theenvironmental condition has not transcended a minimum or maximum limitor range of permissible values based on the product environment data 85,the container 14 will continue to be routed towards the receiver 18indicated in the shipping address data associated with the package. Inthis situation, the computer system 22 can generate the appropriatetransporting instruction 87 and transmit it to the hub control unit 44via the network 32. In another embodiment, so long as it is determinedby the computer system 22 that no limits or range was transcended, thecomputer system 22 will not interfere with the hub control unit 44 andallow it to generate the transporting instruction based on the shippingaddress data. However, if the computer system 22 determines that theenvironmental condition has transcended a minimum or maximum limit orrange based on the product environment data, the computer system 22 cangenerate a transporting instruction 87 indicating that the transportingis to be performed differently as compared to normal processing byshipment to the receiver 18 indicated by the address data associatedwith the product 13 and/or container 14. The computer system 22 can thentransmit the transporting instruction 87 via the network 32 to one ormore points within the carrier's logistics network 20, including but notlimited to, the hub 28 from which the product environment data 85 wasreceived.

As described in the embodiments above, a transporting instructionassigned to a container 14 housing the product 13 can be generated atthe delivery hub 28 by the hub control unit 44 or it can be generated bythe computer system 22 and transmitted via a network 32 to the hubcontrol unit. In either situation, the transporting instruction assignedto the product 13 and/or container 14 is sent from the hub control unit44 to the machine controller 46. In one embodiment, the machinecontroller 46 implements the transporting instruction. Machinecontrollers such as unit 46 are known in the art. In general, thesortation system 36 uses conventional systems, including belt opticalencoders, to track the position of containers 14 with their products 13as they move through the hub 28. The sort machinery unit(s) 48 used totrack and direct the movement of containers 14 and products 13 through ahub facility are known in the art. Information about the use of tilttrays in a sortation system is available in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,433,311 and5,489,017, both issued to Bonnet and both of which are hereinincorporated by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,211 to Huang and U.S.Pat. No. 5,547,063 to Bonnet also discuss the use of the sorter in thehub, and these patents too are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a computer system 22 in accordance withthe invention depicted in FIGS. 1-2. The computer system 22 includes aserver 58 and a data storage unit 78. The server 58 comprises aprocessor 60 and memory 62. The server 58 can also comprise interfaceunits 64, 66, and bus 65. The processor 60 can be coupled via the bus 65to receive and transfer signals and/or data to and from the memory 62and interface units 64, 66 as it executes various software code storedin the memory 62. More specifically, the memory 62 stores varioussoftware executed by the processor 60, including an operating system 67for controlling the allocation and usage of hardware resources; a serverapplication 68 for processing identification data 83, tracking data 84,and product identification data 85 received from the carrier logisticsnetwork 20. The server application 68 can be executed by the server 58to store the data 83, 84, 85 in the data storage unit 78. The serverapplication 68 can be executed by the server 58 to generate atransporting instruction 87 for providing to machinery and/or worker(s)within the carrier logistics network 20.

The memory 62 can store a database management system (DBMS) 69 forgenerating commands to store, modify, delete, retrieve, join, divide,etc. data in the data storage unit 78. The memory 62 can store acommunication module 70 for handling communications and data transmittedto and from, respectively, the server; security software 71 forperforming user authentication and other security-related services suchas encryption and decryption of data transmitted and received by theserver; and a simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) module 72 to be usedin one embodiment of the invention when sending and/or receiving emailnotifications over a network 32. The memory 62 can include a datastorage area or buffer 73 that can be used by any of the softwaremodules listed above to store and retrieve data generated or required inthe execution of such code. The first interface unit 64 is used by theprocessor 60 to send and receive data over a network 32, and the secondinterface unit 66 is used to transfer data between the server 58 and thedata storage unit 78.

The data storage unit 78 stores a database 80. In one embodiment, thedatabase 80 contains records of related data fields including a user IDand password 81, and account data 82 associated with the user ID andpassword. For each container 14 and its product 13 that are associatedwith a user account, the database 80 contains identification data 83stored in association with tracking data 84 and product environment data85. The identification data 83 can include a tracking identifier 23 suchas a “1Z” alphanumeric character string for uniquely identifying thecontainer 14 during the shipping process. The tracking data 84 caninclude data identifying the date, time, and/or place of particularevents associated with the container 14 as it is transported from asender 16 to a receiver 18 within a carrier's logistics network 20. Suchevents can include the arrival or departure of the container 14 at orfrom particular locations within the logistics network of the carrier 20as the package is transported. The tracking data 84 can also include theidentity of persons handling the package, such as the pickup or deliverydriver, or a person acknowledging receipt of the package at a particularlocation by signing for the package.

In one embodiment, the product environment data 85 includes at least onemeasurement of temperature, pressure, vacuum, vibration, shock,humidity, moisture, light, air, and a chemical to which the product 13within the container 14 has been exposed. Furthermore, the data storageunit 78 can store limit/range data 86, which defines the limit or rangeof measurements of an environmental condition prescribed to beacceptable to prevent spoilage of a product 13 under shipment. Thelimit/range data 86 can be used by the processor 60 to determine whethera product 13 has been subjected to an environmental condition adverselyimpacting the product by comparing the product environment data 85 withthe limit/range data 86 to determine whether an acceptable limit hasbeen transcended. The resulting determination can be used by theprocessor 60 to route the product 13 accordingly.

FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram that illustrates the steps fortransporting a product 13 in a container 14 based on product environmentdata 85 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Atstep S100, a scanning device scans an environmental sensor 12 physicallyassociated with the product 13 in the container 14 at a location withinthe carrier's logistics network 20, to read product environment data 85from the sensor. As previously mentioned, the container 14 can be anindividual package, a shipping container, or any other type of containerenclosing a product that is transported from a sender 16 to a receiver18. In one embodiment, the environmental sensor 12 is a radio-frequencyidentification (RFID) sensor tag, and the scanner is an RFIDinterrogator that transmits and receives radio frequency signals fromthe tag in the performance of the scanning step.

The nature of the product environment data 85 obtained in the scanningstep depends on the type of sensor 12 used. The environmental sensor 12can be capable of sensing one or more environmental conditions to whichthe product 13 is subjected, such as temperature, pressure, the presenceor absence of a vacuum, vibration, shock, humidity, moisture, light,air, and the presence or absence of a particular chemical. In oneembodiment, the sensor 12 can be configured to generate productenvironment data 85 that comprises time data generated in associationwith corresponding product environment samples for indicating the timeof sensing the environment condition associated with the container 14.In another embodiment, the environmental sensor 12 can be programmed todetermine whether the environment condition of the container 14 hastranscended a minimum and/or maximum limit, or a range of permissiblevalues, based on the product environment data 85. In yet anotherembodiment, the sensor 12 can comprise a visual indicator operable tosignify that the environment condition of the contained product 13 hastranscended a minimum and/or maximum limit or range. For example, thevisual indicator can include at least one light-emitting diode (LED)illuminated so as to change from a first color to a second color inresponse to the environment condition of the contained producttranscending a minimum and/or maximum limit or range. Other types ofsensors 12 previously mentioned can also be used effectively in thesystem 10.

At step S102 of FIG. 4, a scanning device is used to read identificationdata 83 from at least one of the product 13 and container 14. Theidentification data 83 can be stored on the environmental sensor 12, ashipping label 21 affixed to the container 14, or some other tagassociated with at least one of the product and container. Theidentification data 83 preferably includes a tracking identifier 23 thatuniquely identifies at least one of the product 13 and container 14. Thetracking identifier 23 can be an identifier that is typically used by acarrier to track packages. Alternatively, the identification data 83 canbe Electronic Product Code™ indicia embedded in memory contained withina smart tag or chip on a particular product. At step S104, the product13 and/or container 14 is scanned to read shipping address data thatindicates the shipping address of a receiver 18 to which the product andcontainer 14 are to be sent. The shipping address data can be stored onthe environmental sensor 12, a shipping label 21 affixed to thecontainer 14, or some other tag physically associated with at least oneof the product and container.

At step S106, a computer system connected to receive the scanned datafrom the one or more scanning devices used in the above-indicated stepsdetermines whether the environmental condition of the contained product13 has transcended a minimum or maximum limit or passed outside of aprescribed range based on the product environment data 85. In oneembodiment, the computer system performing the determining step is thehub control unit 44 of the hub 28 of FIG. 2, which generates atransporting instruction based on the determining step. In anotherembodiment, the determining step can be performed by the computer system22 of FIGS. 1-2. In this embodiment, the scanned data can be transmittedvia a network 32 to the computer system 22, which then determineswhether the environmental condition of the contained product hastranscended a minimum or maximum limit or range based on the productenvironment data 85. The computer system 22 can generate a transportinginstruction 87 based on the determining step, and then transmit theinstruction via the network 32 to at least one point within thecarrier's logistics network 20, such as a hub 28 or a delivery driver30, for use in transporting the product and container 14.

The transporting of the container 14 depends on whether a minimum ormaximum limit or range was transcended based on the product environmentdata 85. Minimum or maximum limits defining a limit or range ofpermissible values can be stored in the environmental sensor 12, or theycan be stored in a database accessible by the carrier 20 using theidentification data 83 associated with at least one of the product 13and container 14. If the product environment data 85 indicates that nolimit or range has been transcended, then at step S108 of FIG. 4, thecarrier will continue transporting the product and container 14 to thereceiver 18 identified in the shipping address data. However, if it isdetermined that a minimum or maximum limit has been transcended based onthe product environment data 85, then at step S110 the transportinginstruction 87 may direct a carrier facility to transport the productand container 14 differently than handling that would otherwise be usedin the performance of step S108. For example, the result of transcendinga particular limit or range can be such as to require that the product13 and container 14 be rerouted to an alternate destination. Thealternate destination may be a disposal site, or a different receiverthan the receiver 18 to whom the product and container 14 wereoriginally to be sent. The alternate destination can be identified bydata stored on the environmental sensor 12, or it can be stored in adatabase accessible by the computer system 22 using the identificationdata 83.

FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram that illustrates the steps forgenerating history data indicating the conditions to which a product 13in a container 14 is subjected during shipping in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. One advantage to generating suchhistory data is that it allows the carrier, customers and otherauthorized personnel to analyze the data so as to look for possiblepatterns of environmental conditions that may be occurring duringcertain times and/or at certain places within a carrier's logisticsnetwork 20. For one thing, this can be very beneficial for testing thedurability and effectiveness of different types of packaging under avariety of environmental conditions. Additionally, the environmentalhistory data provides both carrier and customers with the ability tolook for adverse conditions that may be recurring at various pointsalong particular shipping routes. In some cases, upon detecting such aproblem, a customer may be able to request that shipments of aparticular type of product 13 be shipped via an alternate route so as toavoid the adverse condition(s) associated with a particular shippinglane within the carrier's logistics network 20. Similarly, the carriercan use the data as a diagnostic tool to help identify and correctrecurring problems within its logistics network 20.

At step S200, a scanning device scans an environmental sensor 12physically associated with a product 13 in a container 14 at one or morelocations to read product environment data 85 from the sensor. Thecontainer 14 may be an individual package, a shipping container, or anyother type of container enclosing a product 13 that is transported froma sender 16 to a receiver 18. In one embodiment, the sensor 12 is aradio-frequency identification (RFID) sensor tag, and the scanner is anRFID interrogator 40 that transmits and receives radio frequency signalsfrom the tag in the performance of the scanning step.

At step S202, a scanning device is used to read identification data 83from the product 13 and/or the container 14. The identification data 83can be stored on the environmental sensor 12, a shipping label 21affixed to the container 14, or some other tag physically associatedwith the product and/or container. The identification data 83 preferablyincludes a tracking identifier 23 that uniquely identifies at least oneof the product 13 and container 14. The tracking identifier 23 can be anidentifier that is typically used by a carrier to track packages, or itmay comprise Electronic Product Code™ indicia or data embedded in amemory chip contained within a smart tag on a particular product. Atstep S204, the identification data 83 and the product environment data85 are transmitted via a network 32 from the one or more scanners 41performing the scanning to a computer system 22.

At step S206 of FIG. 5, the identification data 83 and productenvironment data 85 is received at the computer system 22 via thenetwork 32 from the one or more scanners 41 performing the scanning. Thecomputer system 22, in step S208, stores the product environment data 85in association with the identification data 83 in the computer system.At step S210, tracking data 84 is generated. This can be done, forexample, by configuring the scanner 41 to “timestamp” the scanned datain a manner known in the art. In another embodiment, the computer system22 can be programmed to identify the particular location of a scanner 41based on a received scanner ID number, so that when the computer system22 receives tracking data in association with a particular scanner IDnumber, the computer system can refer to a database to retrieve thisdata. The tracking data 84 can comprise time, date and/or location ofthe product 13 and container 14 during the performance of the scanning.The tracking data 84 can further comprise data indicating such things asthe identity of persons handling a container 14, such as a pickup ordelivery driver, or a person acknowledging receipt of the package at aparticular location by signing for the package.

Turning now to FIG. 6, the process continues at step S212, wherein thetracking data 84 is transmitted via the network 32 to the computersystem 22 from a scanner 41 performing the scanning. The tracking data84 is received at the computer system 22 at step S214, and in step S216the tracking data 84 is stored in association with the identificationdata 83 and the product environment data 85 in the computer system. Thedata stored in the computer system 22 provides history data indicatingthe environmental conditions to which the product 13 in the container 14has been subjected to at a plurality of locations and times in thetransporting of the product.

At step S218, the computer system 22 receives via the network 32 arequest from a user of a computing device to access product environmentdata 85 associated with a container 14. In one embodiment, the requestincludes identification data 83 for identifying the container 14. Therequest can also include user identification data, such as a usernameand password 81, to be used by the computer system 22 in determiningwhether a particular user is authorized to access the productenvironment data 85. Based on the data in the request, at step S220 thecomputer system 22 retrieves the product environment data 85 that theuser is authorized to access, and in step S222 the computer systemtransmits the product environment data 85 in association with thetracking data 84 from the computer system to the computing device viathe network 32.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which thisinvention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. For example, thoseskilled in the art will recognize that the functionality of the computersystem 22 as described in FIG. 3 can be carried out on a plurality ofcomputers capable of communicating via a network 32 such as the Internetor other communication network, and, accordingly, need not be discussedhere for an understanding of the subject invention. In other words,rather than have a single server 18 to perform the described functions,these functions can be executed by two or more distributed computers,and such modification is expressly contemplated to be within the scopeof this invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventionis not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and thatmodifications and other embodiments are intended to be included withinthe scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employedherein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and notfor purposes of limitation.

That which is claimed:
 1. A method comprising the steps of: collectingenvironmental data using an environmental sensor associated with acontainer such that the sensor travels with the container duringtransportation of the container within a carrier's logistics network;receiving the environmental data collected by the environmental sensorat a computer system; determining with the computer system whether anenvironmental condition of the container has entered within apre-defined range of values based on the collected environment data; andprior to completing the transportation of the container and in responseto the computer system determining the environmental condition hasentered the range of values, generating and transmitting alert data toone or more users of the computer system, the generated alert datacontaining an indication of the environmental condition entering therange of values.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the stepof in response to an input from the one or more users, generating atransporting instruction to alter the delivery of the container.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the transporting instruction redirects thecontainer to an alternate destination different from its originaldestination.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the transportinginstruction upgrades the service level of the container.
 5. The methodof claim 1, further comprising the step of in response to an input fromthe one or more users, altering a frequency at which the computer systemanalyzes the environmental data.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein upondetermining that the environmental condition of the container hastranscended a limit associated with an upper threshold of the range themethod further comprises the step of generating a transportinginstruction to alter the delivery of the container.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the transporting instruction at least one redirects thecontainer to an alternate destination different from its originaldestination or upgrades the service level of the container.
 8. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: collecting trackingdata including identification data identifying the container andlocation data identifying the location of the container; receiving thetracking data at the computer system; and linking the tracking data withthe environmental data based at least in part on time or location. 9.The method of claim 1, wherein the environment data relates to at leastone of temperature, pressure, vacuum, vibration, shock, humidity,moisture, light, air and a chemical to which the container has beensubjected.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the environmental sensor isa radio frequency identification tag (RFID).
 11. The method of claim 10,wherein the RFID tag is a passive radio frequency identification tag.12. The method of claim 10, wherein the RFID tag is an active radiofrequency identification tag.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein theenvironmental sensor associated with said product further comprises avisual indicator activated automatically by the environmental sensor ifthe environmental sensor determines the environmental condition hasentered the range of values, wherein the visual indicator changes itsvisual appearance when the environmental condition has entered the rangeof values.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method furthercomprises the steps of: determining whether the environmental conditionof the container has transcended a limit associated with an upperthreshold of the range; in response to the environmental condition nottranscending the limit, the visual indicator changes its visualappearance to a first appearance; and in response to the environmentalcondition not transcending the limit, the visual indicator changes itsvisual appearance to a second appearance, the second appearance beingdistinct from the first appearance.
 15. A system comprising: anenvironmental sensor associated with a container and travels with thecontainer as it is transported within a carrier's logistics network; acomputer system configured to: determine whether an environmentalcondition of the container has entered within a pre-defined range ofvalues based on the collected environment data; and prior to completingthe transportation of the container and in response to the computersystem determining the environmental condition has entered the range ofvalues, generate and transmit alert data to one or more users of thecomputer system, the generated alert data containing an indication ofthe environmental condition entering the range of values.
 16. The systemof claim 15, wherein the computer system is further configured to inresponse to an input from the one or more users, generate a transportinginstruction to alter the delivery of the container.
 17. The system ofclaim 16, wherein the transporting instruction comprises at least oneof: (1) the identification of an alternate tip position corresponding tothe alternate destination; (2) the redirection of the container to analternate destination different from its original destination; or (3)the upgrade of the service level of the container.
 18. The system ofclaim 16, wherein the environmental sensor comprises a visual indicatoractivated automatically by the environmental sensor if the environmentalsensor determines the environmental condition has entered the range ofvalues.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer system isfurther configured to: determine whether the environmental condition ofthe container has transcended a limit associated with an upper thresholdof the range; in response to the environmental condition nottranscending the limit, change the visual indicator to a first conditionappearance; and in response to the environmental condition nottranscending the limit, change the visual indicator to a secondcondition appearance, the second condition appearance being distinctfrom the first condition appearance.
 20. A non-transitory computerprogram product comprising at least one computer-readable storage mediumhaving computer-readable program code portions embodied therein, thecomputer-readable program code portions comprising: (A) a firstexecutable portion configured for receiving environmental data collectedby an environmental sensor associated with a container such that thesensor travels with the container during transportation of the containerwithin a carrier's logistics network; (B) a second executable portionconfigured for determining whether an environmental condition of thecontainer has entered within a pre-defined range of values based on thecollected environment data; and (C) a third executable portionconfigured for, prior to completing the transportation of the containerand in response to determining the environmental condition has enteredthe range of values, generating and transmitting alert data to one ormore users of the computer program product, the generated alert datacontaining an indication of the environmental condition entering therange of values.